Free-wheel-coupling mechanism



May 4 1926. 1,583,092

T. PANTOFLlEK' FREE WHEEL COUPLING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 1. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented May 4, 1926.

' UNITED STATES rnnonon rAN'rorLIoEK, or PILSEN, CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

' FREE-WHEEL-COUPLING MncHnmsM.

A'p'p'lication filed November 1, 1921. Serial No. 512;064.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it knownthat I, Tnnonon PAN'TOFLIGEK, citizen of the Republic of Czechoslovakia, residingat Pilsen, Karlsbadergasse 24:; Czechoslovak Republic, have invented certa-in 'newand useful Improvements in Free- Wheel Coupling Mechanism (for which I have filed applications in Czechoslovakia, April 11, 1919, No. 409 19 and N0. 2,737 20, April9, 1920; Austria, No. 1 ,985,.filed April 24:, 1920, and N0. 1,501,filed March 17, 1921; Great'Brita-in, No. 9,608 and No. 9,609, filed March 31, 1921; Germany, No; 39,833, filed May 17,1920, and. No. 41,826, filed April 6, 1921; Switzerland, No. 11,67 9, filed March 21, 1921, and No. 11,896, filed March 26, 1921:;1Sweden, No. 1,170, filed March 21, -1921-,sand No; 1,887, filed March 30, 1921; France, No. 142,555, filed Ma-rch 30, 1921, and No. 1 1,268, filed March 31, 1921), or which the following is a specification;

'My invention relates to clutch mechanism ofthe type comprisingtwo clutch members, one thereofbeing a driving member pro vided with .pawls and the other being a driven member providedwith ratchet teeth with'which the pawls cooperate.

Variouspractical embodiments of the in vention are illustrated on the accompanying drawing. Figs. 13 show one form of construction of the -couipling--inone vertical se'cwhen engaged and 3 their position when disengaged. Figs. 4-to '6 show "a second form of construction of couplings in accordance with this invention.

In all the constructions illustrated in the drawings 1 indicates one of the coupling parts (for example the driving part) 2 indicates the other coupling part (this is for example the driven part). {76 indicates the pawls provided on the'coupling part- 1 and y the ratchet teeth on the part2 which cooperate with the pawls w.

The pawls a2 and the ratchet teeth y are provided With special controlling means 2, e, which when the clutch is running free positively control the pawls of t'hepart 1 so that these are always'kept in the position ready to engagewith the teeth 1 of the couplin -part 2.1 The con-trolling means of the paw sw and the ratchet teeth 3/ can be in dif- PATENT fe'rent forms; in the examples illustrated in the drawing they consist of' controlling su-rr faces 2 2arra1iged upon the; ratchetteeth. V

In the construction illustrated in ill s: 1-3 one elementfof the clutch consists o-fja two 'armedr pawl which is mounted toirfQC'l;

in a slot-5 of the discshaped.coupling part 1. 6 is the zIIilVOt o'fthepaw'l avg-,7, 8 ers; he 13013130111 surfaces of the slot 5sarrang'ed at an obtuse angle to one another. 1 ;The-pivot "is located atone side ofg'a radius'projectrng paWlSr; and 1 through-the vertex of this obtuse-anglegand ii;

the pawl 00 is mounted thereonsothatwthe shorter arm :ofthe pawl is on theside 0- ,slot

5'-having, the pivot. This arm of the pawl '00 is formed as a lockingrpiece :10. Thegother arm of the 'pa-wlm forms a controllingbody 11 which carries on itsouter end the control? ling surface'e. L :}f

The second couplingpart 2 is likewise/tin the form of adisc whi'cl'i is provided at ts edge with engaging teeth y. The engag g teeth are of a'substantially tri-angular fsection and areso arranged upon the coupling part 2*that they embrace the coupling-{part 1' with room for play. '2 are-controlling surfaces provided upon theengagingi teeth a] andthe eflect in the manner described; b low the positive control of the pawl J0.

Assuming that the coupli'ngor olutch s in the position shown in Fig,- 2 (working); and

that the driving v part 1 is turned in thedirection of the arrow p, then the locking part 10. engages with one of theratchet teethjy and causes the part 2 of the clutch to ,be takenwith it in the direction of thearr ogw 10. When the clutch isrunning free (for example when the coupling part1 is stationary) a ratchet tooth ot the part 2 strikes against the pawl arm 10 and causes thepaw-l 00 to turn about the pin 6 (compare the po- 81131011 1 the pawl in In thi tion the pawl arm ll) rests with its inner edge .uponlthe bottom surface 8 ofth'e slot 5, whilst the coupling part 11 extendswith its controlling surface .2 out of the slot.

Upon the further free rotation ofthecou ice ' whichis provided in the coupling part 1. 26,

27 are, the pivots of the pawls, 28, 28are the arms formed as locking parts and 29, 29 are the other arms of the pawls. z are controlling surfaces formed upon the pawls w, 00 which as will be described later co-operate with the controlling surfaces 2 of the clutch teeth. For transmitting the control movement from the pawl m to the pawl w and vice versa the arm 28 of the pawl 00 is provided with a corner 30 which co-operates with the end of the arm 29.

When the clutch is running free the controlling surface z of the pawl which is momentarily in engagement strikes against the controlling surface a" of the succeeding tooth and causes this pawl to rock. This rocking movement is positively transmitted to the other pawl by engagement of the arm 29 with the corner 30 and the latter arm or its locking part is brought into position ready to engage with the teeth y of the clutch part 2. This alternating action is repeated so long as the free running of the clutch is continued. When in the working position the locking part 28 or 28 of the pawls 00, a" whichever may for the moment be within reach of the rotating clutch teeth y strikes against one of these clutch teeth whereby the coupling of the parts 1 and 2 is effected.

The ratchet clutch made in this manner works in the same manner as an ordinary feed wheel with pawl. It possesses however the great advantage that its pawl or pawls during free running are always maintained positively in the correct locking position, so that the power-releasing devices which have hitherto been found necessary in connection with ratchet clutches such as, for example, springs or weights are no longer required to effect the engagement of the pawls. This constitutesa very great technical improvement, as it is just these power-releasing devices (springs for example) of ratchet clutches as hitherto constructed that are the frequent cause of breakdowns, which as is well known, may have the most serious consequences.

The above described constructions can be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention and can if desired be combined with one another. Both the number of teeth as also the number ofthe pawls can be selected as desired. It is quite immaterial whether the pawls are arranged in the driving or the driven part of the clutch. The essential feature is that the clutch elements are provided with controlling means a, 2;" which when the clutch runs free guarantee the positive guiding of the pawls into the ready position for engagement.

hat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a clutch mechanism of the character described, the combination of a driving element having a channel in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said element, the bottom surface of said channel consisting of straight walls at an angle to each other, a driven element having projections in said plane in register with said channel, said driving element being provided with oscillating means mounted in said channel and arranged to be engaged at one end during free running movement with said projections to move the opposite end into the path of .the projections, the movement of said means being limited by contact thereof with the bottom surface of said channel.

2. A clutch mechanism, as claimed in claim 1, in which said channel has an angular bottom surface, and in which the oscillating means comprises a pawl provided with two arms having the under edges composed of'a straight portion and a projection at one end, the said under edges being adapted to be brought into contact with one or the other of the planes of said bottom surface, the upper edge of the pawl being provided with a cam surface at one end adapted to be engaged by said projections to rock the pawl, the opposite end of the upper edge of the pawl being provided with a nose portion capable of movement into and out of the path of said projections.

3. A clutch mechanism, as claimed in claim 1, in which said channel has an angular bottom wall composed of two surfaces disposed at an obtuse .angle to each other.

1. A clutch mechanism, comprising a disc driving member provided with a slot disposed transversely of the axis of the clutch, the bottom surface of the slot being composed of surfaces which are disposed at an obtuse angle to one another, a pawl pivot ally supported in said slot and having one or the other of its opposite ends adapted to be seated against one of the surfaces of the obtuse angles of the bottom surface, the pivot for the pawl being disposed at one side of a radius projecting through the vertex of the bottom surface and projected through the said pawl so as to arrange the shorter arm of the pawl on the side of the slot having the pivot, and a driven member adjacent said driving member and having axially projecting teeth disposed on diametrically opposite sides of the member and movable with the latter through'a path ooincident with that of the said pawl, the said into contact with the bottom surface of the teeth being provided with an abrupt surface slot while the shorter arln'of the pawl is directed away from the direction of rotamoved into the path of the said teeth during 1 tion and a controlling surface inclined to free running of the said clutch.

5 wards the periphery of the driven member In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature.

in the direction of rotation to engage the longer end of the pawl to move the latter ING. THEODOR PANTOFLICEK. 

